Patrick pursed his lips, casting an unfavorable look at Jane, not uttering a single word.
Candice, upon hearing Jane’s words, immediately teared up. She tightly clutched Patrick’s hand, trembling even in her voice as she spoke to Jane.
“Jane, I have no grievances with you. Why do you have to say such things about me? Why are you trying to ruin Patrick and me? You clearly know that he likes me, and he even said he wants to marry me…”
“You are the other woman here. Why do you repeatedly accuse me?” Candice choked up, looking at Patrick with a plea for help.
Jane, with her arms crossed, swung her gaze between the two, a mix of anger and amusement apparent. “You don’t seriously think that Patrick liking you makes you the rightful future lady of the Pansy family, do you? Let me tell you, Grandfather has chosen me as the granddaughter-in-law, and it can only be me. As for you, you’re just a wild girl who popped up from who knows where!”
Jane glared fiercely at Candice, a stark contrast to her usual calm and elegant demeanor. It was rare for her to be so confrontational with another woman.
“You!” Candice widened her eyes, glaring at Jane. However, she only managed to utter this one word before her steps seemed to falter. She placed a hand on her forehead, looking as if she had been overwhelmed, all while still holding onto Patrick’s sleeve.
“Candy!” Patrick’s face turned iron-cold. He quickly supported Candice, guiding her to rest on the sofa.
Turning back to Jane, his tone grew darker, and he reprimanded, “Jane, have you caused enough trouble? Candy has just been discharged, can’t you stop causing chaos here?”
Candice looked surprised at Patrick’s defense, but there was a hint of happiness in her heart. It seemed that this woman would soon lose her position as the future lady of the Pansy family.
Jane, with widened eyes, couldn’t believe what Patrick said. She vehemently retorted, “Patrick, you actually say I’m causing trouble? It seems she holds quite a place in your heart… Don’t forget, Grandfather wants me to be your wife. If I don’t agree, she!”
Jane pointed towards Candice. “Won’t step into the Pansy family’s door for even a day!”
Patrick swatted away Jane’s hand, his words revealing restrained anger. “Show some respect to Candy. And as for you, we have no more ties. In a while, I will talk to Grandfather and bring Candy over.”
“You!” Jane, in disbelief, raised her head, squinted her eyes, then bypassed Patrick to look at Candice on the sofa.
In the end, she gritted her teeth and spoke bitterly, “Fine, Patrick. This is what you said. As long as Grandfather still likes me, I will forever be the lady of the Pansy family. You and her will never get your way.”
“No need to trouble yourself,” Patrick said sternly. Jane shot one last glare at Candice and stormed out in anger.
“Patrick…” Candice weakly spoke, looking at Patrick with some concern. “Jane… is she really okay?”
“Don’t bother with her.” Patrick coldly dropped a sentence, showing impatience. However, when he looked at Candice, he deliberately restrained his emotions.
“You just need to rest peacefully here,” he said.
Jane left the Water Moon Community, a faint smile appearing on her face. Her recent behavior in the apartment, though seemingly aggressive, was actually aimed at making Candice completely let her guard down. Jane wanted her to believe that there was no entanglement between her and Patrick, allowing her to more directly expose the mastermind behind her.
…
“Erica, the opening ceremony of ‘Farewell My Concubine’ is tomorrow. You better make your move at this ceremony. I want everyone to see Jane embarrassed, and I want her never to hold her head up high again.”
Florence and Erica were in the Terry family’s garden terrace, sipping coffee. Florence set down her coffee cup and informed Erica in a rather commanding tone.
Yes, her tone could be described as an order.
Erica nodded, wearing a flattering smile. “Florence, you can rest assured. I’ve already made the arrangements.”
“Arrangements?” Florence raised an eyebrow, her tone skeptical as she looked at Erica.
“Yes,” Erica asserted confidently. “I contacted Ling. He’s a renowned hacker, and I’ve already asked him to infiltrate Star Entertainment’s intranet. They are sure to play video material during the opening ceremony, but what they will show is uncertain.”
Florence nodded in realization, a satisfied smile playing on her lips. “Then it’s in your hands. In any case, I must see Jane embarrassed.”
After Florence left, Erica dialed Ling’s number. “Are you clear about the task I assigned to you?”
“Rest assured.” The voice on the other end of the phone was completely unfamiliar, processed through a voice changer. “I’m already working on it.”
“Good.” Erica readily agreed, a noticeable smirk on her lips. “If you succeed in this task, your reward will certainly be substantial. However, there’s one more thing…”
Apartment.
With the opening ceremony imminent, Jane typed on the keyboard, preparing to enter the company’s intranet to check the video materials for the next day. However, as soon as she entered, opened the required webpage, a series of garbled characters appeared on the screen, continuously flashing and increasing.
… The prepared teaser video had actually been hacked.
Jane took a deep breath, furrowing her brows slightly. The coding used by the other party was sophisticated, but for her, it was still a walk in the park. However, she had no intention of deciphering this hacker code right now.
Jane knew there were quite a few people who held grudges against her. The ones attempting to make her look bad at tomorrow’s opening ceremony were not many, but she didn’t rule out the possibility of someone intentionally collaborating with hackers.
Leaning back in her chair, Jane pinched her nose bridge. She casually closed the video page, dialing Anthony’s number.
“Ada, why contact me at this time? Is something wrong?”
“Our company’s intranet has been hacked. The video material scheduled for tomorrow’s opening ceremony has turned into complete gibberish.”
Anthony, upon hearing this news, was somewhat surprised. “How could this happen? … But with your skills, isn’t it easy for you to decipher the gibberish? Or is there something you need me to do?”
“I can decipher the gibberish, but not right now…” Jane chuckled. “You go and investigate who’s pulling the strings behind the scenes. It’s best to let me know by twelve o’clock so I can make preparations.”
“Okay, I got it.” Anthony readily agreed.